The Ontario Rivers Alliance …

The Ontario Rivers Alliance (ORA) is a not-for-profit grassroots organization with a mission to protect, conserve and restore riverine ecosystems across the province. The ORA advocates for effective policy and legislation to ensure that development affecting Ontario rivers is environmentally and socially sustainable.

The proposed Mineral Exploration Permit to undertake early exploration activities at Claim numbers 226335 and 323940, approximately 20 kilometres northeast of Kirkland Lake, and within close proximity to the Upper Beaver Gold Project (Reference 82960), which is currently going through the federal Impact Assessment process. We submit that, because of this close proximity in such a sensitive and controversial land use area these mining exploration permits should be considered within the context of the Upper Beaver Gold Project and its ongoing federal Impact Assessment process.

The ORA is concerned about this and other nearby mineral deposits in and around the Upper Beaver Gold Project and their potential cumulative environmental effects on the air, land, water and wildlife in this area. This is also a highly sensitive land use area where local stakeholders are already very concerned about access issues and the potential negative effects resulting from this and other nearby mineral exploration permits on their well-being and the enjoyment of life and property.

Thank you for this opportunity to comment.